Pimiteoui Hiking Club has spent three decades supporting area parks

A brisk, January walk through Jubilee Park. A spring trek through Singing Woods.

A late July hike along the Hennepin Canal. A scenic fall bike ride along the River Trail of Illinois.

Members of the Pimiteoui Hiking Club of Peoria have participated in those outings and many more in the 30 years of the club’s existence.

By JANE MILLER

Journal Star

By JANE MILLER

Posted Mar. 20, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 20, 2013 at 7:19 PM

By JANE MILLER

Posted Mar. 20, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 20, 2013 at 7:19 PM

A brisk, January walk through Jubilee Park.

A spring trek through Singing Woods.

A late July hike along the Hennepin Canal.

A scenic fall bike ride along the River Trail of Illinois.

Members of the Pimiteoui Hiking Club of Peoria have participated in those outings and many more in the 30 years of the club’s existence.

Formed in the early 1980s to promote the growth of the Rock Island Trail, the Pimiteoui Hiking Club has expanded into more of an activities club that tries to make use of all the parks and recreational opportunities in the region.

“I really got into it for the physical activity, No. 1,” said club vice president Brian Cunningham. “And No. 2 is to explore the area parks. We have a great group of people, and I enjoy hitting the trails. It really does give you an appreciation of the parks we have. A lot of people don’t realize how many trails we have in this area.”

While the word “hiking” in the club’s name may conjure up thoughts of sturdy boots and walking sticks, those might not always be necessary.

The terrain is usually not especially challenging and the local hikes last around 90 minutes to two hours.

“Unfortunately, we burn some calories and then we usually put some right back on,” said Cunningham of the club’s routine of finding someplace nice to eat after hikes.

Cindy Alexander is one of the founding members of the club and is its president. She said membership in the club usually doesn’t get above 100 members and averages around 80.

“Dues are $6 a year — they haven’t gone up in a long time,” she said. “We don’t have big expenses. We used to have a paper newsletter but we just went to email, and we do send out reminders to everyone before events so they’re fresh in their minds.”

Some of the dues money goes to events like picnics and Halloween parties, “but since we don’t maintain a location, we don’t have a lot of expense,” she said.

For the club outings, which occur approximately every other weekend, members often carpool to share costs. Club members act as hosts for each event.

“It will fluctuate, but a typical event might have 12 to 20 (participants),” said Alexander. “If we do day trips out of town, we get eight or 10. Surprisingly, the winter hikes tend to be very popular. We often have 20 or more in the winter time.”

Alexander categorizes the average club member’s age as “middle-aged and older. On occasion we’ll have kids or grandkids and people can bring kids with no problem.”

She jokes the terrain of central Illinois doesn’t often lend itself to challenging hikes.

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“You know how many mountains we have to deal with in our environment,” she said. “But you would be surprised at how many hills and ravines and streams we can encounter.”

The club also schedules some longer trips, like a recent planned event to Chautauqua Wildlife Refuge to look for eagles or last fall’s journey to Lake Geneva, Wis.

Last year, they even took a week-long trip to the Smoky Mountains and are planning other such getaways this year.

“We’re trying to do some different things besides just locally,” said Alexander.

But sometimes the local trails are the best. Cunningham’s favorite venue is Forest Park Nature Center.

“It’s right in the heart of town, and it’s beautiful any time of year,” he said. “We like to support it in all ways. There are so many events out there, including musical events.”

Keeping sight of its original mission, the group also joins in service events like the River Sweep. And some club members are still involved in helping to build and maintain area trails.

The group’s 30th anniversary coincides with National Trail Day, which is June 4. Planning is in the preliminary stages for some events to coordinate with those two celebrations.

But between now and then, there are bi-monthly hikes and trips to enjoy.

“I am a big advocate of us all needing more activity, so when those events are scheduled, I put them on my calendar and try to schedule around them,” Cunningham said. “Hiking is free and the parks are our tax dollars at work so they’re already paid for one way or the other. And I would like to see a whole lot more younger people and kids involved. Kids need more activity, but really it’s getting out and seeing the variety of parks we have.”

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For membership information, future hikes and to view club newsletters, visit: Ptahike.org.